Collins Dictionary states that ‘If you say that someone has fire in their belly, you are expressing approval of them because they are energetic, enthusiastic, and have very strong feelings.’

When was the last time you had that?

What made you have those feelings of being energetic and excited to share, learn and influence more?

Do you still have those feelings now?

If not, why not?

What do you feel you need to get it back again?

Is it motivation?

Is it time?

Is it training?

Or is it all of the above?

Do you need some help with giving you back that FIRE IN YOUR BELLY?

HONESTY ALERT.... I know I sometimes I do ... it’s not a sad thing to own up to... but it is a sad thing to not recognise you are needing help to get your mojo back. There are only 2 ways which gives me that feeling.

1. Training and igniting those feelings to others

2. When I am able to talk to people who inspire, enlighten and enthuse me to I get that feeling back again

So why do we not do that all the time would be the simple answer?

Because our life is full of challenges, our professional values get overtaken by ‘noise’ of others and our personal values get trodden on by negative vibes. It is all called LIFE. But we can be the only person to change that. We are only responsible for ourselves.

Spending the weekend with a few people who I have never met but have connected with over the past year on social media has had a huge impact on the way I am feeling right now.

Ok I’m tired... we all are right... but it was so worth it.

It started by delivering some training to ignite people’s curiosity, enticing them with Jigsaws ideas for Glory Stories and sparking some enthusiasm in them to do the same for their children.

I always ask people to send me what they think about the training as part of my reflection... How I can improve ...but while driving to the BIG SMOKE. I received this email from one of the delegates from the training ... Tania Grimwood.. You inspire me too J

‘Thank you so much for today's training and your wacky/inspirational way of presenting - it was like a breath of fresh air - in fact it was more like a bloody hurricane of inspiration (scuse the swear word as I'm sure you will!!!) and thought provocation on our teaching and development for the children in our care.’

This gave me BIG smiles ... this is what I was hoping to achieve when I set up Jigsaw, giving ideas, sharing best practice and giving people FIRE IN THEIR BELLY... job done ✅

When I finally arrived at the hotel after an hour at Chiswick roundabout. Don’t ask, I had butterflies like you couldn’t imagine, it was like a first date if you remember that far back...

When Topanga Smith (aka Roseville Early Years Consultancy), Jenny Ainsworth (JA Happy House childminding) and Lisa Amanda (aka Maggie and Rose and Inspire to leap) and I finally first met yesterday it was like old friends who haven’t seen each other for months. We did not stop talking from the moment we met to the moment we said goodbye. In fact at one point we were gently reminded Starbucks was closing and could we kindly leave!

We had a tour of Maggie & Rose in Chiswick which set the scene for the afternoon. The oasis of pure delight for children to experience, the buzz of the staff to ensure children are happy, the design of the setting which was so bespoke and highly thought of....who would of thought you could have double decker bus in the nursery, to the rooftop terrace garden with furniture tailor-made for them just created an awe of wonder and delight from us all...

Roseville Early Years Consultancy shared their thoughts on being able offer a bespoke service to help develop and enhance the child-led learning environment. Their firm beliefs that children learn best when the environment reflects their interests and what goals they have for 2018 incorporating loose parts, authentic materials and open ended resources.

From another perspective Jenny Ainsworth from JA Happy House Childminding enchanted us with her stories and how passionate she is on delivering OUTSTANDING practice. She has been using authentic resources for years, igniting children’s curiosity way before it became the new buzz word and delights about bringing up children in surroundings where they are able to thrive and be creative.

Lisa Amanda has a wealth of experience within Early Years sector and shared her stories about her life in Dubai and the mission she is aiming for with ‘Inspire to Leap’ group. The fact we were so nervous and excited at the same time was soon resolved by the calming and relaxed influence of Lisa who made us all feel like we were old friends.

We talked for hours about our experiences and how we got to where we were now. We listened to each other’s stories and shared the joys and the woes of the events in our lives which makes us who we are now.

Ladies...

YOU all inspire, motive and enthuse me to be the best I can be.

YOU gave me FIRE IN MY BELLY to improve outcomes in children and teams in settings.

YOU have helped me on my journey.

So if you are having one of those days when you are feeling blah! Look no further to like-minded people who are there for just this purpose.